Aethic has been announced as the official sunscreen provider for Vestas 11th Hour Racing in the 2017-18 race. Says Vestas 11th Hour Racing:
“Aethic Sôvée satisfies our strict performance and sustainability criteria in a world in which several ingredients have been revealed to harm coral and marine life. While one of these ingredients, oxybenzone, has received most recent media attention, it is only one in a longer list of offenders.
On top of the effect of a warming ocean, some ingredients also cause corals to bleach. When corals are exposed to as little as a single drop in 4.3 million gallons of water — about six and a half Olympic-size swimming pools — it is enough to be deadly.
Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide can also react to sunlight and create hydrogen peroxide which can seriously harm phytoplankton. Alongside Coral, Phytoplankton is another essential pillar of marine life.
Such harmful ingredients from sunscreens enter the ocean in more ways than just swimming after applying sunscreen; they can also enter the ocean from rinsing off sunscreen in the shower or even flushing the toilet since oxybenzone, for one, is detected in urine within 30 minutes of application.
Let’s lead sustainability, together!”
